Gonzalez In A Slump, Or Is This Who He Is?

Adrian Gonzalez has so far impressed with the Mets, delivering in some key spots which included a grand slam against the Washington Nationals and a big two-run single against the Miami Marlins last Wednesday.

However, the 35-year old is 0-9 in his last three games, which has dropped his season average to .222 and he appears to be in the midst of a slump.

The question, though, is whether this is more of what to expect from Adrian Gonzalez as he heads into the latter part of his career.

Coming off a season in which he hit .242/.287/.355 last year with only three home runs in 71 games, there is some reason to believe that this might be closer to what should be expected of the first baseman.

On top of it, the Mets have some options internally that might make this interesting if his slump continues.

Dominic Smith has really impressed in Triple-A Las Vegas, thus far, as he has hit .289/.438/.579 with two home runs and six RBIs in 12 games (48 at-bats).

Meanwhile, another Mets first base prospect is producing, in Peter Alonso. At Double-A Binghamton, the power hitter is off to a scorching hot start with a .375/.459/.750 slash line to go along with three home runs and seven RBIs in nine games (37 at-bats).

The first one is the one that likely poses a major threat to Gonzalez. Had Smith produced in his cup-of-coffee with the team last season, the Mets likely never would have signed Gonzalez to a league minimum salary deal.

With multiple first base options available this offseason, the Mets chose to go the cheap route, which likely has to do with the fact the team is hoping Smith can take the reins at some point this season, making it easy to dump Gonzalez.

If that is the case, then Gonzalez could very well find himself on the hot seat very soon.

The Mets have already begun having Jay Bruce take reps at first base before games, which would open up another spot in the outfield. This would make Gonzalez expendable as Bruce hits from the same side as him and Wilmer Flores starts against all lefties.

Whether or not Gonzalez is able to rebound quickly out of his slump could be very important for him in the coming weeks. If he proves unable to do so, the Mets might move on from him with a plethora of other options at their disposal.